Ranunculus is a large genus of about -5,000 species of plants in the Ranunculaceae. It includes the buttercups, spearworts, water crowfoots and the lesser celandine (but not the greater celandine of the poppy family Papaveraceae).

They are mostly herbaceous perennials with bright yellow or white flowers (if white, still with a yellow centre); some are annuals or biennials. A few have orange or red flowers and occasionally, as in R. auricomus, petals may be absent. The petals are often highly luster, especially in yellow species. Buttercups usually flower in April or May but flowers may be found throughout the summer especially where the plants are growing as opportunistic colonisers, as in the case of garden weeds.

The Water crowfoots (Ranunculus subgenus Batrachium), which grow in still or running water, are sometimes treated in a separate genus Batrachium. They have two different leaf types, thread-like leaves underwater and broader floating leaves although for some species, such as R. aquatilis, a third, intermediate leaf form occurs.

Ranunculus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hebrew Character and Small Angle Shades. Some species are popular ornamental flowers in horticulture, with many cultivars selected for large and brightly coloured flowers.

Naming

The name Ranunculus derives from the Latin words rana (frog) and ulus (little). This probably refers to many species being found near water, like frogs.

In the interior of the Pacific Northwest of the United States the buttercup is called "Coyote’s eyes" — iceyéeyenm sílu in Nez Perce and spilyaynmí áčaš in Sahaptin. In the legend Coyote was tossing his eyes up in the air and catching them again when Eagle snatched them. Unable to see, Coyote made eyes from the buttercup.

Toxicity

All Ranunculus species are poisonous when eaten fresh by cattle, horses, and other livestock, but their acrid taste and the blistering of the mouth caused by their poison means they are usually left uneaten. Poisoning can occur where buttercups are abundant in overgrazed fields where little other edible plant growth is left, and the animals eat them out of desperation. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, excessive salivation, colic, and severe blistering of the mucous membranes and gastrointestinal tract. When Ranunculus plants are handled, naturally occurring ranunculin is broken down to form protoanemonin, which is known to cause contact dermatitis in humans and care should therefore be exercised in excessive handling of the plants The toxins are degraded by drying, so hay containing dried buttercups is safe.

Sardonic

The term sardonic (sardanios), "bitter or scornful laughter", is often cited as deriving from the name of the Sardinian plant Ranunculus sardous, known as either σαρδάνη (sardanē) or σαρδόνιον (sardonion). When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to σαίρω (sairō) "I grin".

Partial species list

• Ranunculus acraeus - a newly described species from Otago, New Zealand
• Ranunculus acris - Meadow buttercup
• Ranunculus alpestris
• Ranunculus aquatilis - Common water crowfoot
• Ranunculus arvensis - Corn buttercup
• Ranunculus asiaticus - Persian buttercup
• Ranunculus auricomus - Goldilocks buttercup
• Ranunculus bulbosus - Bulbous buttercup
• Ranunculus californicus - California buttercup
• Ranunculus cymbalaria - Marsh buttercup
• Ranunculus ficaria - Lesser celandine
• Ranunculus flammula - Lesser spearwort
• Ranunculus fluitans - River water crowfoot
• Ranunculus glaberrimus - Sagebrush buttercup
• Ranunculus glacialis - Glacier buttercup
• Ranunculus hispidus - Bristly buttercup
• Ranunculus jovis - Utah buttercup
• Ranunculus lapponicus - Lapland buttercup
• Ranunculus lingua - Greater spearwort
• Ranunculus longirostris - Water Buttercup
• Ranunculus lyallii - Mount Cook Lily - reputedly the largest buttercup
• Ranunculus occidentalis - Western buttercup
• Ranunculus peltatus - Pond water crowfoot
• Ranunculus platanifolius - Large white buttercup
• Ranunculus pygmaeus - Pygmy buttercup
• Ranunculus repens - Creeping buttercup
• Ranunculus sardous - Sardinian buttercup
• Ranunculus sceleratus - Celery-leaved buttercup
• Ranunculus septentrionalis - Swamp buttercup
• Ranunculus sieboldii (ref. )
• Ranunculus testiculatus - Bur buttercup

and many more

See also

• List of plants poisonous to equines

References

• GRIN Species Records of Ranunculus. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area. Retrieved on 2008-01-08..

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile: North American Species